First Shot (Jin & Tonick Book 1) by Bokerah Brumley
Author:Bokerah Brumley [Brumley, Bokerah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bokerah Brumley
Published: 2019-11-03T16:00:00+00:00
GenCor Invisi-Communique
***Begin***
RE: Headquarters
Above ground compromised.
RE: Research Level
Unaffected.
***End***
Chapter Sixteen
LOCUS: ALTER EARTH
Bostgo Sector
UnderCity
GenCor Hospital
Date: 13 Pentian
Time: 0800
CHUNKS OF CEILING FALL on the floor in front of us, exploding across the shiny marble. The elevator weâre riding on top of has stopped at the ground floor, but weâre on the second level of GenCorâs UnderCity lobby, facing a staircase that will lead us out the front door. The suspension cable strains as the building rocks once more. If we wait much longer, our ride is going to drop into the basement.
Dyad creeps forward, edging her front tire out onto the floor. Tonick shoves his boot into the opening of the next level down to keep it from closing. Weâre hung between floors somehow. He leans out over me, looking first one way and then the other. Itâs quiet. Like the calm before the storm.
Pop. Snap.
Cracks shoot up through the thick glass walls that surround the two-story lobby. The fissures glow like neon in the artificial daylight. A shatter is imminent, but every seam, every joint is reinforced by riveted metal.
Last year, during Sextus, a small army of UnderCity dwellers attacked the building. They wanted medical care but never made a dent. Tendrils of smoke curl toward us, emerging from the shadows like reapersâ fingers. A cable strand as thick as my ankle snaps. The fiber hits three sides of the elevator shaft, sending a spray of concrete shrapnel down on us.
âWhat are we going to do?â Weâve made it this far. Terror twists my stomach. Weâre so close to freedom. We canât wait for an opening. We have to make one. My pulse pounds in my ears.
âDonât worry,â Tonick says. âTrade me places.â The straps loosen and disappear into Dyad once more.
Sure. The building is falling down around us. I wonât worry.
I donât say any of it, but climb off Dyad and dance in place while Tonick scoots forward. I avoid looking at his ripped face. Iâm not ready for that truth.
I take his seat, and Dyad fastens us both in place. Itâs not warm like I expected. Thatâs new. Either his programming that makes him seem human is starting to fail or heâs turned it off. I wrap my arms around him, and my fingertips land in rips in his shirt and skin. The cold of the metal beneath my fingers is another surprise, but it doesnât make me recoil. Heâs still the knight who rescued me. Heâs just fashioned from metal instead of bone.
Dyad creeps forward a few more inches, and Tonick leans forward again. Ahead of us, small circles pop open and flashing red lights push through.
âAll occupants must exit the building through mandated procedure. Once free of danger, please wait for retrieval by the Corp patrols.â The recorded voice repeats the warning.
GenCor is on lockdown, and weâre trapped in the bottom of an imploding box.
No, thank you.
I wonât wait for the corrupted Corp to drag me back to GenCor.
We should have gone out through the Swank lobby at the top of the GenCor building.
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